Storm panels are widely used to protect glass windows, storefronts, doors, and other structural features from environmental hazards such as hurricanes and tornadoes. In order to meet the varying demands and financial resources of consumers, storm panels can be manufactured in many different configurations. For example, panels can be manufactured to comprise automatically operating designs or manually operated designs.
Automatically operated storm panels are generally integrated within the structure on which they are employed. These designs offer the benefits of being aesthetically discrete and ease of operation, wherein the panels can be selectively deployed or retracted within a relatively fast amount of time with little effort. Manually operated storm panels can comprise configurations that are either permanently attached to a structure or temporarily attached. Permanently attached designs comprise colonial shutters, bahama awnings, and the like. These designs can be secured to the exterior of a structure and manually operated at one's discretion. Although these designs are manually operated, they are generally considered to be of desirable aesthetic appearance. Temporarily attached storm panels are commonly employed as they can be temporarily secured to the exterior of a structure and removed therefrom at the owner/operators discretion, and can be the least expensive option for transparent storm protection.
Temporary storm panels can be fabricated from transparent and non-transparent materials. Non-transparent materials comprise metals (e.g., aluminum or galvanized steel), wood, and so forth, which can be easily obtained, however, they can be considered aesthetically unpleasing. Transparent panels can be fabricated from polymers, such as polycarbonate, high-impact polystyrene, acrylics, and so forth.
Storm panels fabricated from transparent materials have proven to be more desirable than non-transparent materials as they allow natural light into the structure on which they are employed as well as allow occupants therein to view external weather conditions. In addition, these panels can comprise corrugated structures that allow for ventilation of a structure via the windows under which the storm panel is disposed. Although preferred, transparent storm panels (hereinafter referred to as “panels”) can exhibit several shortcomings in visual appearance and structural performance.
Visually, some manufacturing processes can impart high haze and/or blemishes that detract from the panel's visual appearance. In addition, many polymeric materials employed can be prone to yellowing as a result of poor resistance to ultraviolet light. Structurally, some manufacturing processes can induce variations in panel thickness that reduces the overall physical properties of the panel (e.g., stiffness or durability).
Therefore, what is needed in the art is storm panels having improved weatherability and thickness uniformity, low haze, and/or comprise a reduced number of manufacturing induced blemishes compared to other manufacturing processes. What are also needed are efficient methods for manufacturing storm panels, which can provide these properties.